Chase Searle of La Madera Elementary School in Lake Forest, seems stunned after spelling his way through another round of the 2013 Orange County Spelling Bee. FILE PHOTO: ANA VENEGAS, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Forty-seven students will compete Saturday in the final round of the annual Orange County Spelling Bee to determine who will advance to the national competition in May.

Initially, 105 students competed in a written round Monday, representing their home districts or schools, said Kristin Rigby, who oversees the program for the Orange County Department of Education.

The students, in grades six through eight, represent 33 schools from 11 districts, including 13 private schools. They spent hours practicing spelling words such as “ubiquitous” and “penumbra,” as well as their Latin roots.

The students competed in their school spelling bees before moving onto district bees or straight to this week’s county spelling bee.

This weekend’s oral competition begins at 9 a.m. at the Orange County Department of Education offices in Costa Mesa. Participants will draw numbers out of a basket to determine the order they’ll spell their words. After a single misspelling, a student will be eliminated. Rounds will continue until just one speller is standing.

Spelling bees help students improve on key skills needed for the professional world, Rigby said.

The national bee, the Scripps National Spelling Bee, is held in Washington, D.C.

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